on wall street today, investors bought up stocks on high hopes of deal, after president obama said this afternoon a deal is "in sight," and positive comments from republican leaders in the senate. here's how the major averages closed on this last trading day of 2012. the dow surged 166 points, the nasdaq jumped about 60, and the s&p rose almost 24 points. while wall street has already closed the books on 2012, washihiashington still has a fes to go before its new year's day fiscal cliff deadline. darren gersh has the latest. >> reporter: after a weekend of late-night negotiations with the vice president, senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said an agreement on the fiscal cliff was very, very close. >> we'll continue to work on finding smarter ways to cut spending, but let's not let that hold up protecting americans from the tax hike that will take place in about 10 hours. >> reporter: the deal would raise the top tax rate for individuals making more than $400,000 and couples with more than $450,000 in income. itemized deductions would be limited for individuals making more than $25